<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>sacrifice by orphan_account, potteraeken</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26338453">sacrifice</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/potteraeken/pseuds/potteraeken'>potteraeken</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sacrifice [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst and Feels, Good Theo Raeken, M/M, Theo Raeken Needs a Hug, Theo Raeken-centric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:06:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,767</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26338453</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account, https://archiveofourown.org/users/potteraeken/pseuds/potteraeken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything had been quite in Beacon Hills after Monroe but then again it was Beacon Hills, something was bound to go wrong. And it did. There were hunters in Beacon Hills. Again. But these hunters weren’t driven by fear for the supernatural as Monroe’s fanatics had been, no. They were driven by something much more vicious, Revenge.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sacrifice [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1921051</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>sacrifice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everything had been quite in Beacon Hills after Monroe but then again it was <em>Beacon Hills</em>, something was bound to go wrong. And it did. There were hunters in Beacon Hills. Again. But these hunters weren’t driven by fear for the supernatural as Monroe’s fanatics had been, no. They were driven by something much more vicious, <em>Revenge</em>.</p><p>Scott and Co didn’t know this obviously and Theo had no plans to enlighten them any soon. They were operating under the impression that Monroe had sent her hunters to Beacon Hills again. There were safety precautions being taken by everyone and forcefully implemented upon Theo by Liam because<em> I don’t care that you were the Chimera of Death Theo you are coming back home at 9.</em> The Sheriff, Agent McCall and Argent were all working to track the hunters with only occasional help from the pack because The Sheriff refused to drag anyone from the pack into it anymore then he could help it.</p><p>Theo, though, Theo couldn’t shake off a feeling like something was just wrong about the whole situation. His instincts were unsettled. There was something about the hunters and their relative silence ,after making a big show of coming into town by killing an omega werewolf, that sat wrong with him. So he investigated. He investigated and wished he hadn’t. Because sitting here in his truck on an abandoned road leading to the warehouse where his most certain death would occur ,he wished with every cell of his being that he’d left it alone, let Argent and the others deal with it. But nothing was to be done now.</p>
<hr/><p>A week into his 'investigation' and it became clear to him why the hunters weren’t doing anything. They weren’t radio silent because they were plotting or setting traps. They were waiting. Waiting for Theo, apparently. And Theo had essentially gift wrapped himself for them by coming to an old cabin in the woods after tracing the scent of wolfsbane and gun powder from the preserve. He realized the second he step foot in the cabin that he was royally screwed. The hunters were standing there with their guns full of wolfsbane bullets, pointed straight at Theo. But none of them pulled the trigger, they delivered their message to him, that they were oh so patiently waiting to deliver, and he was allowed to go back. They might as well had shot him, though, for all the good that going back did to him.</p><p>The hunters were just one of many people Dread Doctors had screwed over in their overly long, psychotic lives but the face in front of The Doctors horrible actions was Theo, their bait to lure clueless victims in. And so when it came to revenge Theo was the one who was targeted, of course he was.<br/>
The hunters had given him a choice, <em>At exactly this same time tomorrow, come to the abandoned warehouse on the edge of the town. Face the consequences of what you’ve done or Liam and his Pack will suffer for your ways</em>. But it was the way they took Liam's name, separately and with more emphasis, that it dawned on Theo with a spine chilling certainty that they knew. They knew because they hadn’t just been waiting, they had been observing and watching him ,more necessarily, who he spent the most time with. And Theo ,well after that he didn’t really have much of a choice did he? It was either him or the pack, the pack that ,for all that he’d screwed them over, were making an effort for him. Including him in Pack dinners and meetings. It wasn’t all smooth, there was still tension there, maybe there always will be, but everyone was trying. They were trying and it meant more to Theo then it really should have. It was either him or Liam and Theo had really early realized that he’d sooner go back in the ground then let Liam get hurt.</p><p>But there was one other thing though. <em>Why not just shoot me now? You’ve got me trapped and helpless here,</em> Theo had asked after they’d announced their ultimatum. <em>We could just shoot you now and leave you for dead</em>. The hunter had sneered. <em>But then again that wouldn’t be fair, would it? No, Mr. Raeken , we won’t shoot you now. It will be much more fun to see you fall victim to your own ways. Manipulation. That’s what you’re good at aren’t you?</em> He added with a vicious sort of satisfaction at Theo's predicament.</p>
<hr/><p>And to think Theo was beginning to try and live normally, beginning to settle into the Geyer-Dunbar household after Liam had all but threatened him to come live with him after the war. <em>I’m not letting you live in your bullet riddled truck when there’s a perfectly good guest room in my house, Theo</em> , he had said loudly, ignoring Theo's protests. Thinking of Liam right now hurt but it also gave him something else to think of other than his looming death. It was this line of thinking that got him dialing Liam's number, sitting in his truck. It was just after 3 and Liam had plans to hangout with Mason and Corey. They’d invited him too but he’d refused, making up some excuse . But now as Liam picked up and said “Hey Theo. I thought you were helping Argent with something?”, he wished he had accepted their invitation and saved his own hide as he’d done countless of times. But the number of people that had died because of him were frankly too many, and Theo was ,for once in his life, trying to do something <em>good</em>, trying to not let anyone else die because of him. So he tried to control his spiraling emotions and replied, “Yeah, I just stepped out for a bit. How’s the movie marathon going?”</p><p>That was all the incentive Liam needed apparently. He went from telling him about the movies he and Mason and Corey were watching to how his day at school had been, which mainly consisted of him bitching about biology and how history was so much better. Theo listened and remained silent apart from the occasional hmm and yeah and really? But halfway through he realizes, how he never really asked Liam to tell him all this stuff, Liam just always does because he wants to and this realization was all it took for the tears gathering at his waterline to fall and his breaths to hitch. He quickly slaps a hand over his mouth to stop the sobs from escaping and alerting the still ranting Liam about his current emotional state. But it turns out Liam had finally noticed how quiet he’d been and paused.<br/>
“Theo? Are you even listening?”, He says, sounding a little annoyed but also, Theo notices, with a hint of concern.<br/>
Theo quickly reins in whatever control he has left of his emotions, clears his throat, furiously wipes away at the tears clinging to his face, and replies with a slightly hoarse voice, “Of course I am. The line’s still connected isn’t it?”, he wanted to sound like his usual smartass self but just slightly missed the mark.<br/>
“Oh really? I might as well have been talking to a brick wall for all the response I got”, Liam replies dryly.<br/>
Theo quirks a watery smile feeling more tears falls down his cheeks and replies with as much sarcasm as he can muster with wetness still spilling down his face, “And what exactly were you expecting me to respond with, to your 'Fuck biology, History rules rant' ?”<br/>
“I wasn’t ranting you dick. I was telling you about my day", he says exasperated. “If you don’t wanna hear about it then <em>fine</em>. I’m missing the movie marathon anyway and Mason is sending me these looks, like if I don’t get of the phone soon he’s going to forcefully take it away from me", His voice goes a little amused at the end, like he’s particularly enjoying Mason's apparent irritation at his lack of movie watching manners.<br/>
But his reply causes a small flare of panic in Theo's chest. As childish as it may seem, He doesn’t want this call to end. He suddenly has a bordering on desperate wish to just stay in this moment, in his truck, talking to Liam. But since when does he ever get what he wants? Time was running out for Theo, so he says, “Wait. Liam", his voice, despite his best efforts to neutralize it, coming out a little desperate.<br/>
“Yeah?”<br/>
“I wanted- I wanted to say Thank You.” Theo says, voice tight with emotion.<br/>
“Thank you?”, Liam replies with a confused tilt to his voice.<br/>
“Yeah thank you. For- for everything. For getting me out of- you know", He swallows past the emotion building up in his throat and continues, “Even if it was to use Josh's power. I’m glad you did.”<br/>
There’s a pause for few long seconds and then, “ I’m glad I did too.” Liam replies with a smile, Theo can hear it in his voice, he can perfectly picture it too, the way his eyes would shine and crinkle at the corners. But it’s the way he says it, almost overly <em>fond</em>, that has Theo's face scrunching up with emotion, eyes squeezing shut, more tears falling as his hand, yet again, flies up to cover his mouth and stop any voices from escaping.<br/>
And then Liam's voice goes a little distant as he says, to Mason apparently, <em>Ok fine Jesus Mason. I’m hanging up</em>. And then his voice becomes clear again,<br/>
“Ok Theo, I really need to go now but we’ll talk when you get back okay?” Liam says a little expectantly with the previous concern back in his voice, at Theo's out of character gratitude, maybe.<br/>
“Yeah", Theo means to say but his voice comes out weak and it almost sounds like a croak, so he clears his throat and tries again. “Yeah" he says a little more firmly.<br/>
“Ok". A pause and then, "See you later”, Liam says and the line goes dead.</p>
<hr/><p>The line goes dead and Theo, whatever control he’d gathered of his emotions slipping through his fingers, he breaks down. Right there in his truck, a few feet away from his demise, Theo for probably the first time in his life completely breaks down and cries. But he only allows himself a few minutes. And then he steals his face and his crumbling resolve.</p><p>
  <em>He has to do this. He's going to do this.</em>
</p><p>And so he starts his truck and drives.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>....i'm sorry. If anyone wants a second part with Liam saving Theo's self sacrificing ass lemme know.</p><p>Update: I uploaded the second part!! Just click on 'next work' to read. :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>